A Thankless Job
by FaithinBones
Summary: Aubrey is assigned the task of shadowing Booth when the Agent is released from prison. (Season 10)
1. Chapter 1

(Season 3 and season 10)

This was requested by anne1585.

I don't own Bones.

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As Special Agent in Charge at the Hoover, Booth was required to visit Quantico once in a while to give a lecture to agents in training. He didn't mind as it allowed him to observe the new recruits and see what they were like. As always most of them were eager to learn and Booth appreciated that. Sometimes when one of the firearms instructors went on vacation, they would ask Booth to fill in since he was an ex-Ranger and a marksman. The Agent was also good at close quarter combat and his skill with knives and unarmed combat was uncanny and to some of the newer recruits downright menacing.

Booth had been working with Dr. Temperance Brennan for over three years and because his team was solving cold cases that should have been impossible to solve as well as closing new cases almost as soon as they were assigned to them, the agent had had several raises and promotions. He knew he'd hitched his wagon to the right team and he was very proud of his and their accomplishments.

At the request of James Camden, Booth agreed to take over arms training at Quantico for two weeks while the man went to Europe for a much needed vacation with his wife. Brennan hadn't been too pleased with the situation, but Booth had encouraged her to work in Limbo and use her mad skills to identify those luckless souls waiting to be identified. Not at all mollified, she warned him that if a new case came up and he wasn't there, she would do her best to solve it without him. Booth patted her on the arm and wished her luck. He meant it and she knew it.

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As soon as James Aubrey graduated from college he'd been recruited by the FBI. Aubrey had wanted to be in law enforcement since he was a lad when he'd discovered that his father was a thief and someone that deserved to be in jail. The man had stolen millions of dollars from his clients and had been arrested for fraud. Shocked that a judge could be so stupid as to give the man bail, Aubrey's worst fears were soon confirmed when his father fled the country. No one knew where he went including his family.

Aubrey's mother had been left destitute and once she realized her predicament, she had pulled her son from private school and placed him in public school. She had let the bank take back her house and she had found work. The pay barely payed the bills, but she worked hard and her son loved her for not giving up when she could have. Wise beyond his years, Aubrey knew that he wanted to be the exact opposite of his father and that meant honest to the bone and a lover of the law.

By the time he had graduated from college, his mother was dead having died of cancer and he was alone in the world. He had no one in his life that cared where he was and what he was doing, but he didn't let that get him down. He knew he was strong and that someday he'd find a family of his own. In the meantime, he made a few friends and worked hard to learn all he needed to know to be a good FBI Agent. He hoped someday to get into politics and make a real difference in the world, but first he had to prove he could make it in the FBI. James Aubrey was a man with goals and a mission.

Aubrey considered himself to be a good shot with a pistol, but once he witnessed Agent Seeley Booth's skills, he knew that he had a hell of a lot more practicing to do to be considered in the same league as Booth. Honest with himself, Aubrey was certain he'd never be that good. He just hoped he might be in the general area and good enough to protect himself and any team members he was working with in the future. Still that didn't mean he'd give up trying to be the best. During Booth's stint as an instructor, Aubrey had soaked in as much advice as he could absorb. He was never one to turn down an opportunity to learn and Booth was definitely the best at what he did.

Not one to hero worship, Aubrey none the less found himself thinking about what it would take to work with Seeley Booth. The man had a solid reputation, he was considered a rising star at the FBI and no one would be surprised if Booth made it to the Directorship someday.

The younger man definitely wanted to work for Booth's team and he hoped someday to finagle his way into Major Crimes. All he had to do was work hard, pay his dues and wait for the right time to put in for a transfer. Yeah that was all.

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A few years later, Aubrey was called to Washington D.C. and was surprised to find himself in the office of the Deputy Director of the FBI. He didn't know it, but he had been the subject of a search by Dr. Lance Sweets at the behest of Deputy Director Stark. Stark was savvy enough to know that Booth's exoneration was being worked on by Dr. Temperance Brennan and the squints at the Lab. If his former agent was not guilty of the murders he had been incarcerated for he would be back at the Hoover soon enough and that meant that Booth would want to do his job. The fact that Booth had been accused of murdering three FBI agents probably meant that no one at the Hoover would be willing to work with him even if the charges were dropped. It would take more than that for Booth to be forgiven and Stark knew that.

"I'd like to offer you a job in Major Crimes." Stark stared at the young agent and carefully explained what was going on. "Seeley Booth is still in prison, but no trial has been set. As far as I know he hasn't even appeared in front of a judge even though his lawyer has been trying. David Barron is a fine lawyer and since he's being stalled, that tells me that something is going on behind the scenes and I don't like it. I need a man here at the Hoover that doesn't know Booth or has any preconceived notions about the man, not bad ones anyway."

Aubrey nodded his head and kept his face as neutral as possible.

The silence from the agent was surprising, but Stark liked that Aubrey was listening and perhaps not jumping to conclusions. "I don't know what is going on, but I have a feeling that whatever it is, it's possible that it will break in the next few months. They can't keep Booth in prison without a trial. Now I'm starting to think that they don't have enough to go to trial and win against Booth and the prosecutor is playing fast and loose with the law. I don't work for the justice department, so I'm just guessing. What I want you to do is come work here. Study Booth's personnel files, his case files, get to know the man and if and when he is released and I really think that might happen, I need someone to keep him out of trouble. I need you to be that man. It will be a thankless job. Booth will hate your interference and so will the men and women in this building. I have no idea how this is going to play out, but I really need you to be prepared to shadow Booth if he makes it back here and provide him backup. Do you understand?"

"I do and thank you for considering me for the job." Aubrey had been following the case against Booth since the man had been arrested and he thought it was absolute bullshit. There was no way a man like Booth would murder anyone. "I accept, Sir. When do I begin?"

Stark was grateful that Aubrey was willing to do this job and he planned to make sure it didn't hurt his career. "I'll have you transferred here next week. You can work on cases as they come up and if Booth is released from prison I will expect you to make sure he stays out of trouble. There is no way of knowing how this is going to end, but the Director and I plan on being prepared."

Curious, Aubrey asked Stark a question that needed to be asked. "Do you consider Booth to be guilty of murder?"

Filled with uncertainty, Stark sighed deeply. "I did at first, but I've had a lot of conversations with people that don't believe it's true and I've decided to leave it up to the judicial system to see how this plays out."

"Who have you been talking to?" Aubrey felt that he needed to know who Booth's allies were.

Stark rubbed the bridge of his nose and leaned back against his chair. "Camille Saroyan, head of the Lab at the Jeffersonian, Booth's wife Dr. Temperance Brennan, Dr. Lance Sweets, Dr. Gordon Wyatt, Caroline Julian, several agents not assigned to the Hoover that have worked with Booth in the past and the Deputy Director and the Director of the CIA. Not people I can blow off. People that know Booth better than I do or at least have knowledge of who and what he is capable of . . . We'll just have to see what happens next. It's all out of my hands and the Director of the FBI does not have any influence to speak of in this case either. Not to sound crazy, it's like there is a conspiracy going on against Booth, but I don't know why or how. It doesn't make any sense and the Director thought I was being a little paranoid when I voiced my suspicions, but when the CIA is calling bullshit about an FBI agent's problems it makes me and now the Director afraid that things are out of control and not on the up and up. Do you understand?"

"I do Sir." Aubrey felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck rising and that made him very uncomfortable. "I think I'll be looking over my shoulders while I'm here Sir."

"Welcome to the club." Stark was a very worried man and he hated that feeling. He also knew that the Director of the FBI and the Director of the CIA were looking over their shoulders, suspicious of everything and everyone and that made Stark wonder if any of them were safe from whatever was going on. "You can say no if you think this is too much to handle."

Confident, Aubrey snorted. "Not for me." The Agent thought about what he had to do in the next few days to make his move as smooth as possible. "I'll go back to New York, pack up and move back down here in the next few days. I'll be ready if and when Booth is freed from prison. I can handle it and I can handle whatever is going on behind the scenes."

Grateful, Stark stood up and shook Aubrey's hand. "I need to remind you that it will be a thankless job."

Aubrey shook the Deputy Director's hand. "I don't need thanks, Sir." And he meant it. He was certain that Booth was being railroaded and he was willing to help the man clear his name if he got the chance. Booth was a hero and a patriot as far as Aubrey was concerned and he would be proud to help the wronged agent if he got the chance.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

(Season 10)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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Aubrey didn't know how it happened, but suddenly Booth was free from prison and he knew that his job had just begun.

Deputy Director Stark had been right. Booth had balked at any help from Aubrey, but that didn't stop the younger man from doing his job. The older Agent didn't want backup and was rude to Aubrey most of the time they were together, but that didn't bother Aubrey in the least. Booth had been wrongfully attacked in his home and almost killed. The three attackers were killed instead and the Booth/Brennan house had been destroyed during that wild attack. Booth had been locked up in a Federal prison awaiting hearings and a possible trial, but for three months no hearings had materialized. It stood to reason that once Booth was out of prison, he wouldn't trust anyone especially anyone working out of the Hoover or the Justice Department and Aubrey knew that.

It was Aubrey's job to back up Booth and he planned to do it to the best of his ability. He had fairly thick skin and though Booth's rejection was slightly irritating, that didn't mean that Aubrey would let it him bother him. It was his job to make sure nothing happened to the freed agent. It had been a little shocking when Booth had made him right away and slammed him against the hood of the car in the parking garage shortly after he began to shadow the man, but it also confirmed that Booth was still someone you didn't mess with. He was a dangerous man and Aubrey would treat him appropriately. He did wonder if Booth's enemies knew that the beast had been unleashed inside of Booth and that the man was after blood. Not that Aubrey cared. If anyone was stupid enough to make an enemy of Booth, then they weren't very intelligent as far as Aubrey was concerned. With Brennan and the squints on Booth's side, those enemies should be looking over their shoulders. Justice was coming and when it did, it would be led by a wronged man out for revenge.

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It had taken a lot of persistence, but Booth had accepted Aubrey being his shadow. It seemed to Booth that wherever he went Aubrey was close by and at first he had wondered who had bothered to assign him as his partner and why. Out of prison, trusting almost no one, Booth wondered what Aubrey's assignment was. Was Booth still considered a murderer and was Aubrey there to make sure he didn't skip out of town or did someone have faith in his innocence and wanted to make sure Booth wasn't working alone?

When confronted, Stark had admitted that he had assigned Aubrey to him, but Booth wasn't sure if Stark could be trusted, so his motives were suspect. Since Booth couldn't really trust anyone at the Hoover, he decided to keep Aubrey in his sight. He might not trust the younger man, but he might be of use and Booth needed help to fix what had gone wrong after the investigation into Wesley Foster's death. That death had led Booth and his team into what looked like a government conspiracy that involved a lot of high ranking government officials and those officials didn't seem to be adverse to murder and mayhem to protect their positions.

Whoever was leading this conspiracy had tried to frighten everyone at the Jeffersonian by going after Booth, but all they had done was solidify the team and forced them to work in secret to clear Booth and to find out what was going on.

The ironic part of the situation was the fact that Hodgins was a well known conspiracy theorist and most of the time he was ignored by everyone including his wife, but now it looked like he might have known what he was talking about all along and everyone else was playing catch up. It was disconcerting to most of his friends and to Booth in particular.

It appeared that there had been an almost silent coup in the United States government and through terror and blackmail, government agencies were being influenced in a nefarious manner. Booth and his team had stumbled upon the biggest threat to their country in modern times and they were determined to put an end to it.

Aubrey worked diligently to back up Booth and to involve himself in the hunt for the conspirators. He considered himself to be a patriot and he wanted to help find and stop the men and women who were trying to destroy his country.

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When the call came in about an agent down, Aubrey was closest and made it to the parking garage where Lance Sweets had been attacked before anyone else could get there. Horrified to see the young doctor lying on the dirty concrete floor, a pool of blood slowly forming under his body, Aubrey had called for paramedics and he had called Booth to let him know that his friend was seriously wounded and he needed to get to the parking garage right away. Lance was in bad shape and Aubrey stayed with him while they waited for help to arrive.

While they waited, Aubrey had knelt beside the psychologist and tried to assure him that he would be alright.

Gasping in pain, Sweets had shook his head. "No, I don't think so." He had trouble breathing and the pain was so intense. "Booth is going to be upset . . . you need to help him . . . he can't blame himself . . . don't let him."

"No I won't let him." Aubrey heard the labored breathing and the growing pool of blood beneath the psychologist worried him. "You've been his friend for a long time." Aubrey wanted to keep Sweets talking until help arrived. He was afraid that if Sweets closed his eyes, he'd never open them again. "You know Booth . . . you know he didn't murder anyone."

"No he didn't." Sweets trusted Booth more than anyone alive. He and Brennan were the closest Sweets had to a family besides Daisy and he knew what kind of people they were. He loved them both and he realized he wouldn't be around to help them anymore. "Booth is a patriot . . . he loves his country . . . you can trust him. Please help him . . . please help him."

The squeal of brakes announced the arrival of Booth and Brennan and Aubrey witnessed the grief that those two went through when their friend died in front of their eyes. Sweets had believed in Booth and he had had several talks with Aubrey before Booth had been released from prison. It was Sweets who had convinced Aubrey that Booth was worth following and it was Sweets who insisted that Aubrey was the partner that Booth would need in the future. Aubrey took the psychologist seriously and now that the man was dead, murdered, Aubrey knew deep in his soul that the conspiracy that was being investigated was more dangerous than he had thought. There was no doubt that no one was safe. Everyone was in danger and they had to find the head of the conspiracy before others were murdered.

Someone had tried to have Booth killed and someone had killed Sweets and whoever was behind this injustice would pay a heavy price. Aubrey would make sure that Booth and Brennan didn't fail. His country's liberty was at stake and he would fight to save it. Sweets would be avenged and Aubrey meant to be there when it happened.

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The head of the hyrda was finally exposed and Durant went down as the traitor he was. Booth had persevered and with Brennan's brilliant work and with Cam and the rest of the team at the Lab working on it, the proof they needed finally came to light and a grave conspiracy was ended.

Deputy Director Stark called Aubrey into his office once Durant was arrested and talked with Aubrey about his future. "You did a good job, Agent Aubrey. I know that Booth didn't trust anyone except his wife and the squints at the Lab, well and Ms. Julian, but you stuck it out and you backed him up."

Up until the list of conspirators had been uncovered, Aubrey had begun to doubt the man sitting across the desk from him. The conspiracy had been so deep, the young agent had started to feel like Booth, that no one could be trusted at the Hoover including Stark. "Thank you Sir. Dr. Brennan and Booth did an amazing job uncovering those traitorous bastards. It really was amazing."

Stark nodded his head and leaned back against his chair. "They did and so did you. I told you it would be a thankless job backing up Booth and I appreciate the hard work you put in to this operation . . . I don't know if he has said it or not, so I'm going to say thank you for him."

Pleased with the recognition, Aubrey smiled. "Thanks, but he needed the help and once Dr. Sweets was murdered I realized that he needed me more than ever. Of course he still doesn't think he needs a partner, he really only trusts Dr. Brennan. This whole thing has really messed up Agent Booth and who can blame him? Almost murdered in his own home, terrorized in prison. I'm still not sure why he was released by the prosecutor, but for whatever reason, Booth didn't trust him or anyone at the Justice Department or anyone here at the Hoover."

"Yes, I'm well aware of all of that." The entire episode was a black stain on the FBI and Stark wasn't sure how long it would take to clean that up. "Booth didn't trust me either and after I saw that conspirator's list I can understand why. I talked to Booth this morning . . . He's changed his mind about quitting the FBI. He's agreed to continue on as head of Major Crimes and now that we know why Booth was set up, almost everyone here doesn't think Booth is a murderer anymore. Unfortunately, Booth doesn't care and he doesn't trust anyone here at the moment expect maybe you. He's going to do his job, but I think it will be awhile before he'll let himself forgive those of us who fell for that whole set up against him . . . God what a mess. Who could believe that something so horrifying could happen in this country in this age, but those damn Hoover files were just so dangerous . . . they should have been destroyed when Hoover died. It should never have got this far. A lot of people were killed, careers were ruined, people were hurt and all for some misguided belief instilled in one man by Hoover. It's almost seems impossible."

Not sure that anything else needed to be said, Aubrey remained silent waiting to see why Stark had wanted to meet with him. The thank you was fine, but it seemed there was more coming.

Shaking the dark thoughts from his mind, Stark leaned forward on his desk. "I'd like you to stay in Major Crimes. You proved yourself capable, you can work with Booth and you should be rewarded for helping crush Durant. You have a bright future, Agent Aubrey. The Director doesn't want to lose your loyalty and expertise. We think it would be good for you if you work with Booth for a couple of years and then we'll see about moving you up. Maybe Special Agent in Charge at one of the field offices as soon as there is an opening."

A little shocked and greatly flattered, Aubrey smiled at the thought of moving up that rapidly in the organization. "Thank you. I don't think Booth is looking for a partner, but I'm going to work on that. Dr. Brennan has made a few comments that she thinks she might be sticking closer to the Lab because of their daughter and that means Booth needs backup whether he thinks so or not. I think once he gets to know me better, once he realizes that the people left at the Hoover can be trusted, he might bend a little and start to trust me more. I just need to give it some time. Eventually he'll see I'm the perfect partner."

Stark stood up, leaned forward and offered his hand. "You've done a great job, Aubrey and believe me, it's been noticed. You get Booth to accept you as his partner and I think that will just add to your credentials. Booth is a great investigator and you can learn a lot from him and his team."

Firmly shaking the Deputy Director's hand, Aubrey felt that his world had taken an sudden turn for the better. He had come a long way since his father had betrayed his mother and him and he knew he had made the right decision choosing law enforcement as his career. He could put away scum bags like his father and make the world a safer happier place. He was in a position to do good and as a part of Booth's team he would.

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This is not the end of this story. Let me know what you think it so far. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

(The Purging of the Pundit)

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I don't own Bones.

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Aubrey knew that it was going to be tough getting Booth to accept him as a partner, so he decided to invite himself on a case as soon as he could. Of course, he wasn't too happy that he'd chosen a case where some guy had been partially eaten by stoats. Aubrey had seen bodies before, mostly gunshot victims and a few knifings, but this was his first foray into taking on a crime where the victim had been stoat kibble. He had almost lost his huge breakfast right in front of Booth and Dr. Brennan and he was so grateful that he hadn't. It would have been so humiliating since he wasn't a rookie.

As it was, Booth refused to think of Aubrey as a partner. Sweets had wanted Aubrey to work with Booth closely and the Deputy Director was insisting that Booth use Aubrey as a partner when he wasn't working with his wife, but Booth wasn't interested. As far as he was concerned, Brennan was his partner and no else need apply.

Booth sat his office and stared at his Bobble Head Bobby. Sweets was very much on his mind and he was filled with melancholy. Brennan had been his partner for a long time, but over the years, Sweets had taken over parts of that partnership and Booth had let him. He and his wife had a small child at home and Brennan was worrying more and more that going in to the field risked the future of their child. Working as a team exposed them to the same dangers and it would be tragic if they were both killed leaving Christine an orphan. Sweets had helped relieve some of that pressure on the couple, but now that Sweets was dead, Booth only had Brennan and she still had reservations about being his full time partner. She loved working with him, but she wanted her husband to consider taking on Aubrey as a partner as part of their team and Booth hated the idea. Replacing Sweets would mean that he had moved on and he wasn't so sure he could at least not yet.

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Sitting in the Royal Diner, Cam and Booth were enjoying what seemed like a rare cup of coffee together. "So how's it going, Seeley?" Cam was concerned for her friend. According to Brennan, he didn't sleep enough and never seemed to be rested. The dark smudges under the agent's eyes gave testimony to the truth of Brennan's concerns. "How is Aubrey working out?"

His coffee too hot to drink, Booth slowly stirred it with a spoon trying to cool it down. "He's okay. He thinks he's my partner and Stark wants me to replace Sweets with Aubrey, but I don't need a partner. When I need backup, I have Bones. I don't need anyone else."

His words were spoken with an emotionless tone, but Cam could hear the pain that he was trying to hide. "You lost someone you considered a brother. Hell, we both know that Sweets made a better brother than Jared ever has, but you need to accept that he's gone and you need to move on."

"Move on." Her words were like a knife stabbing at him. "He was murdered . . . he was beaten so badly he just bled out and it was damn hard way to die . . . He should never been in the field in the first place. He was a psychologist. I don't care if he took the classes and he was considered an agent, he wasn't. He was doing a job he should never have done in the first place. He needed to stay in his office, but he didn't and now he's dead . . . I lost a brother and I shouldn't have."

"Seeley, he was doing what he wanted to do." Cam knew that Booth was taking on more than he should. It was a trait that drove her crazy. "He was still a psychologist, but he wanted more. He loved you and he wanted to be just like you. You were his hero, don't you know that? He had no one in his life except Daisy and you and Brennan. He looked up to you and he wanted to make you proud."

"He did make me proud . . . he did." Booth stared at his cooling cup of coffee and wondered how he'd managed to lose so much so fast. "Pops died . . . Sweets died . . . they almost killed Bones . . . in the house when she came back, they almost killed her. It's a lot to take . . . She's my partner, Bones is my partner, but the risks are so great . . . I don't know what to do, Cam. I really don't know what to do."

Cam wanted to weep for her friend, but she knew she couldn't. He needed her to be strong. "Booth, you do know what to do. Aubrey did a great job helping get to Durant. He was there for you and the rest of us. You can trust him to be the partner you need right now."

Her words were logical, but that didn't mean she was right. "Bones is my partner. I'll just have to do a better job of protecting her. She . . . I'll just have to be more careful."

He wasn't interested in her advice and she knew her friend well enough to know that pushing him would cause him to push back. "Fine, maybe down the line you'll see what I'm saying, but for right now . . . accept that Sweets is gone and that it wasn't your fault. Sweets was doing a job that he loved. He was an agent and he died bravely."

Booth stood up, took some money out of his wallet and threw it on the table. "He shouldn't have died at all."

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Aubrey tried to help with the case where he could, but Booth kept shutting him down and the younger agent was growing frustrated. Everyone could see that Booth needed a new partner even Dr. Brennan, but Booth was fighting it. Stark had heard that Booth was still pulling Brennan away from the Lab more than he needed to and that worried him. Booth needed someone he could trust at the Hoover and it didn't look like his head of Major Crimes was going to budge anytime soon.

Stark had heard that Brennan was in the building and arranged to run into her in the parking garage when she left. "Dr. Brennan how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Brennan was on the way to her car and didn't feel that unnecessary chitchat was very productive. "I'm needed at the Lab. We're still trying to find cause of death for Mr. Whitehouse."

Stark knew that Brennan was in a hurry and he knew subterfuge was wasted on the scientist. "I know that you and Booth are partners and you both do a great job together, but you do understand that he needs to trust someone at the Hoover to be his backup as well? I can't in good conscious let him continue to go out into the field with the little backup he has. Before he was unjustly imprisoned, he relied on you that's true, but he also relied on Dr. Sweets and several other agents around here, but two of those agents, Shaw and Payton have transferred to other field offices and Booth doesn't seem to be trying to work with any of the agents in the building. Agent Aubrey is a fine agent and Dr. Sweets felt that he and Booth would make excellent partners, but Booth is fighting it. If he doesn't find someone in the FBI that he can count on soon, I'm going to have to exile him to his desk. Do you understand?"

"I do." Brennan understood the situation very well. She had been trying to convince her husband to give Aubrey a chance for weeks, but Booth was being stubborn. Prison had changed Booth and it worried her a lot. She was afraid he had given up on everyone and that he felt there was no one he could trust besides her. It was dangerous and it frightened her. "I think Booth will relent soon."

"Good." Stark wasn't sure if Brennan was lying to him, but she did have a reputation of being extremely honest. "It needs to be very soon." With that, the Deputy Director walked away. The Director was putting a lot of pressure on him to get Booth to work with Aubrey and Stark had meant what he said. The Director wanted Booth paired up with another FBI partner or Booth would be yanked from the field. Stark needed Booth in the field working with Dr. Brennan and his team and he was determined to make that work. He hoped his little talk with Dr. Brennan would end in positive results because his talks with Booth had been a bust. Booth wasn't taking him seriously and he should be.

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The case was over and Booth had finally let Aubrey work with him. Brennan was relieved that her husband had seen the logic behind her push to get him to trust Aubrey and he had accepted the younger Agent's help. Now if only her husband would go back to church. Even though she was an unbeliever it worried her that her husband hadn't been to church since before he'd been attacked in their Mighty Hut. Church was part of who Booth was, it was part of his identity and it didn't seem natural for him to miss mass every Sunday.

She knew it seemed to be hypocritical to push Booth to go back to church when she herself considered his religion a superstition, but that superstition was part of Booth's strength. When things weren't going well for him he relied on the church to give him comfort and Brennan was worried that he might find comfort in other things that might not be so good for him. Booth was a recovering gambler and she had noticed that he wasn't attending his monthly meetings either. She didn't believe he was gambling, but that didn't keep her from worrying about it.

Brennan was sitting in the Diner drinking a cup of hot tea when Aubrey approached her table and asked if he could sit down. "Yes of course."

After giving an order to the waitress for a cup of coffee and a plate of onion rings, Aubrey turned his attention to Brennan. "I know it was you that got Booth to work with me . . . thank you."

"You're welcome." Brennan sipped her tea and placed her cup down as the waitress poured Aubrey a cup of coffee. "He needs someone besides me to back him up in the field and you were the logical choice. Sweets told me before he died, that you were the most suitable candidate and you have proven your abilities by helping us bring down Durant and you did quite well in our last case."

Flattered, Aubrey smiled. "Thanks . . . hopefully I'll be as good of a partner as Dr. Sweets was."

"Oh you'll be better I'm sure." Brennan had liked Sweets, but she knew the psychologist's weaknesses. "You're trained to be an FBI agent and you're an excellent investigator. Sweets was trained in the field of psychology and he was a profiler not an investigator. Booth needs an investigator more than he needs a profiler. At least that is my opinion."

Again, Aubrey was flattered. He knew that Brennan wasn't a flatterer and she was simply being truthful to him which made him appreciate her words. "Sweets was like a brother to Booth and I think he's still mourning the guy's death."

"I believe he is too." Brennan watched the waitress set a large plate of crispy golden onion rings on the table in front of Aubrey and decided she would take one.

As he picked up the ketchup bottle, the FBI Agent watched Brennan take one of his onion rings and bite into it. He hoped she wasn't hungry enough to take more. "Still, I'm a damn good investigator and Booth will see that I'm an asset to him and the team."

Brennan sipped more tea and quickly debated with herself if she should say more. "Booth is Catholic, but he doesn't go to church anymore. He hasn't gone to mass since last spring."

That sounded worrisome to Aubrey. Sweets had told him that Booth was a religious man and if he wasn't going to church then he was behaving out of character. "Well, maybe he'll go back soon."

"Perhaps."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

(The Eye in the Sky)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

They'd worked several cases over the next few weeks and they seemed to work well together. Aubrey felt that although Booth was starting to relax around him, he still seemed to keep him at arm's length at times. Since the older agent had been through so much and his faith in the FBI had been fractured, Aubrey didn't expect the man to change overnight. It was a process and the younger agent was patient. He was working interesting cases and he was learning a lot about investigating. It could only help in the future when he ran his own division.

Aubrey entered Brennan's office and once he verified that she was there alone, he closed the door behind him and approached Brennan's desk. "Dr. Brennan I'd like to talk to you if you have time."

Her uninvited guest was a surprise and since he had closed her office door, she felt her heart rate suddenly increase. "Is Booth alright? Has something happened to him?"

"No, no." Aubrey realized that his behavior was alarming Brennan and that hadn't been his intention. "He's fine, really. I just want to talk to you about Booth and I didn't want anyone to eavesdrop on our conversation."

Relieved that Booth was alright, Brennan closed the file she had open on her PC and sat back against her chair. "What do you wish to talk about?"

"Booth is planning on going undercover . . . to a poker game and he says you're okay with that." Aubrey saw the look on her face change to a more worried expression and he knew she wasn't okay with it at all.

"I have reservations about Booth's plan to gamble, but he has assured me that he knows what to do if he feels that it is going to cause him to damage his sobriety." Booth had seemed so sure of himself, but Brennan was wary of his confidence. "He hasn't gambled for a long time."

Aubrey had read Booth's personnel file before he'd ever worked with Booth and he knew about all of the trauma in the man's distant past and his not so distant past. "Look, it hasn't been that long since he was released from prison. His friend Dr. Sweets was murdered and both of you watched the man die. I don't have a good feeling about this. How much has to happen to Booth before he crumbles? This thing he wants to do, he's going to be gambling with real money and it might affect him. I don't see how it won't."

"I too am worried, but I have to trust that Booth knows himself well enough to leave the game if it becomes a danger to his sobriety." Brennan was anxious and she hated that feeling.

"So we can't stop him?" Aubrey wanted to go undercover to protect Booth, but the man didn't want protection. "Is he going to church again?"

Brennan calmly leaned forward on her desk and answered the questions. "No we can't stop him and no he hasn't returned to his church."

He had a bad feeling that all was not well with Booth and that the temptations were going to be too much for him. "I don't like this. I don't like it at all."

"You are a good friend, Aubrey." Brennan knew that Aubrey's concern was genuine. "We must trust Booth and we must be there for him if he does feel the effects of his exposure to gambling."

The conversation hadn't gone the way he had hoped it would. Now Aubrey knew they were both anxious about Booth and Booth was going to do what he wanted to do no matter what they said. "Okay."

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He was afraid. Booth had opened a door that he shouldn't have opened and now he didn't know how to close it again. He thought he was stronger than this. Where was his strength? He had given up gambling almost eleven years ago and he hadn't touched a card or picked up a cue in all of that time, but that game that damned poker game had twisted him somehow. He had been seconds away from winning a huge pot, so much money and in fact he had won. Sure he hadn't picked up the money, but he had won and something inside of him just wouldn't let that go.

Deep down, he knew that he had screwed up and he was terrified. He had forgot what it was like to win. The adrenaline rush, the ecstasy he felt was almost as good as sex. He couldn't believe he had forgotten how great that felt and he knew he wanted to feel it again, but he couldn't. He had given up gambling for Brennan. Booth didn't want to lose her because of his gambling, but he told himself he wouldn't. He couldn't risk losing his family and that is what would happen if he started gambling again. Brennan was on his side, but he wasn't so sure she would understand his slip if he let it happen, so he couldn't take the chance.

And yet, the urge wouldn't leave him. The pot he had almost won was constantly in his thoughts. It had been so damn much money and he had won it through skill. He still knew how to win. He was gambler, a successful gambler and with his skills, he could make so much money. He could buy Brennan things that he had always wanted to buy her. He could pay for exotic vacations instead of relying on her to do it. That money could do a lot of things for him and all he had to do was make a few wise bets.

The more he thought about it the more he realized how when he gambled it wasn't really gambling. When he used to gamble he rarely lost, well most of the time or at least not enough to worry anyone. What would it hurt if he made a few small wagers? Who would it hurt? It was his money and he wouldn't use any money that he had set aside for Christine or Parker. He would never steal from his children. He would just use his discretionary funds. He didn't have a lot of that, but he had some.

Forgotten was the huge argument he had with Rebecca so many years ago when she was just a few months pregnant with Parker. Booth had lost an entire paycheck on a bet on a horse and Rebecca had had enough. Forgotten was the bitter words spoken between them and that he had almost lost the right to see his son Parker after he was born. Forgotten was the struggle to tamp down the constant urge to gamble. She had been firm. Their son would not be misused by his gambler father and Booth had known he would have to prove to Rebecca that he was responsible or he'd never see his son. He'd panicked at the thought. He hadn't given up gambling, but he had cut back enough to pay his bills and to make sure he paid his child support, but he was always chasing the big pot and that too was forgotten.

He held out for two days. Two days slowly ticked by and then he gave in and made a bet on the Cardinals. His fall began from that point, but he didn't see it as a fall. It would take him weeks before he realized what he had done and then it would be too late.

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	5. Chapter 5

(The Murder in the Middle East)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 _I can't believe Booth let it go that far. Damn it! He owes $30,000 to a bookie and that guy threatened Brennan and Christine_. Aubrey was furious, but he knew that he needed to be calm while he took care of the situation. He wasn't sure who he was angrier with, Booth, Jimmy Kosinski or himself.

 _Damn it, Booth! I knew this would happen, I knew it._ Aubrey had tried to keep Booth from going undercover, but he had failed and now look what had happened. He had read Booth's profile. He'd had numerous talks with Sweets before the man had been murdered and he knew that Booth was under too much pressure. He knew it and he should have found a way to keep Booth from going undercover and gambling. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

Well, it was done and now that Booth had screwed up his life it was up to Aubrey to try to fix it. It was one thing for Booth to owe someone thirty large, but for that bastard of a bookie to come around and threaten Booth's family? Well that wasn't going to happen on his watch. He was going to put a stop to that and that was a fact.

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He met Jimmy Kosinski in a remote park on the outskirts of the District, handed over the money Brennan had provided to pay off Booth's debt then pulled a gun and placed it against the bookie's head. "This is the money Booth owes you and this gun is a reminder that if you ever take a bet from Booth again you won't live to collect the debt."

Jimmy was used to being threatened and felt that he was safe enough. "You won't kill me Agent Aubrey. You're not a murderer. On the other hand, I'm a very bad man and you just made a serious mistake. No one threatens me and gets away with it. Not for long anyway."

Aubrey whistled and Hodgins moved into sight. The entomologist had checked Jimmy's car and knew that the bookie had come alone. Moving over to where Jimmy stood, Hodgins grabbed Jimmy's arm and plunged a needle in his upper arm.

Frightened about what was happening, Jimmy tried to move his arm away, but he was crowded against Aubrey's car by the FBI Agent and Hodgins had an iron grip on his arm. "You're poisoning me?" He felt sick and realized that he had under estimated Aubrey. He wasn't sure if these were his last moments or not.

Amused, Hodgins withdrew the needle, capped the tube of blood and placed it in his jacket pocket. "You're such a worthless piece of shit . . . no I haven't poisoned you. I'm not about to go to prison for your murder . . . No what I have done is withdrawn some of your blood. Now you may not know this, but there are a hell of a lot of unsolved crimes in this country and we try our best to solve them, but sometimes we just don't have the evidence to convict . . . If you ever take a bet from Booth again, go near him or his family, make trouble for Aubrey or me or anyone else connected to Booth or the FBI or the Jeffersonian . . . well, I may just solve one of those cold cases with your blood. Now I know I gave you a long list of don'ts, but I'm pretty sure you're clever enough to remember it all . . . Oh also remember this, I could kill you and get rid of your body and no one and I mean no one would ever find it. It's a risk I'll take if I have to . . . no more bets from Booth. Got me?"

Jimmy rubbed his arm and thought about it for a few seconds. "I might come looking for that blood. I'm not afraid of you. I have connections."

"Oh, I hope you do come after me then I can legally kill you while defending myself or like I said, I'll just make sure you're never heard from again." Hodgins laughed. "I'm not afraid of you either and I have more important connections than you do, little man."

Aubrey pressed his gun harder against Jimmy's head. "Maybe we shouldn't take the chance. We can just get rid of Jimmy here and our worries will just go away." Aubrey was bluffing, but he was pretty sure Hodgins was dead serious about the things he had said. If push came to shove, he wasn't sure what he would do and he prayed that Jimmy didn't push the situation.

Starting to panic, Jimmy felt the sweat roll from down his neck. "Look, I got my money which is all I wanted. I won't take a bet from Booth again. This is too much work and it's not worth it to me. There are plenty of losers out there to do business with."

After he pulled another vial from his pocket, Hodgins yanked some hair from Jimmy's head and heard the man grunt. "More evidence. Blood and hair at a crime scene. Maybe the murder of a child that we haven't solved in a while or a politician . . . I'm going to set up my evidence as soon as I get back to work and then put it away where you can't find it. If something happens to me and I mysteriously die or Aubrey or Booth or anyone connected to Booth, well I'll make sure the crime was committed in a death penalty state. Do you understand what is happening to you? Do you understand that you've fucked with the wrong people?" Hodgins was angry and he wanted Jimmy to sweat. Threatening Brennan and Christine almost made him feel reckless.

His gun tapped Jimmy's head and Aubrey was sure it made the bookie dizzy for a short while. "You do understand? Right?"

Furious that he had put himself in this situation, Jimmy growled at the Agent. "I get it, okay? Like I said, no one is worth this much fucking trouble."

"And just to be clear, if Booth's gambling is mentioned in a newspaper or on a television show or on the internet, if anyone hears about it you're going to find yourself under investigation for murder and there will be no way out for you." Aubrey was trying to cover all the bases and he was pretty sure he had. "We're not nice people. If you go to trial and it looks you'll be exonerated? Well, it won't be a long taste of freedom. This guy knows how to make your blood turn into jelly in your body. It would be a pretty damn bad way to die."

"Oh I do." Hodgins grinned. "I also know people, dangerous people." And Hodgins did know very dangerous people. He had belonged to various shadowy organizations over the years that were quietly trying to protect their country from insidious enemies from within and he knew that they would help him out with Jimmy. "I'll make a few phone calls tonight and tell them about you. Agent Booth is a hero to them and to me. Believe me, they will want to protect him and if you upset them, by hurting Booth . . . well, they were upset that they didn't catch on to that traitor Durant when he was destroying our country, so if you try to harm the man that helped take Durant down . . . well, I wouldn't want to be you." His chuckle was menacing and Hodgins was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Sweat was now trickling down Jimmy's back. "When I leave here, I'm never having anything to do with Booth again. Now let me go."

Aubrey released the bookie and pointed at the bookie's car with his gun. "By the way, if you try to go after Booth with a proxy, your ass is grass. I won't hesitate to put our plans into action, so I guess you'd better pray that nothing happens to Booth or any of us in the future because we will suspect you."

Since his future was probably screwed, Jimmy nodded his head and walked over to his car. He had been planning to move to Dallas and now was probably the time to do that. Since FBI agents were in danger just because of the nature of their jobs, he was going to make sure he wasn't in the area if something went down. He'd pay someone to keep track of Booth and if something serious happened to the agent, he'd retire to the Caribbean. He could afford it.

Once Jimmy was gone, Hodgins leaned against Aubrey's truck. "I can't believe Booth did this."

"He did it." Aubrey placed his gun in his holster and sighed. "I'd hate to be in his shoes right now. You know Brennan is pissed."

Hodgins nodded his head. "Yep."

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He was homeless. He was actually homeless. Booth couldn't believe Brennan had thrown him out of the house, but she had and he knew it was going to be hard to get her to let him come back home. _I made a mistake. Why can't she see that? Damn it! It was just a mistake._

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	6. Chapter 6

(The Woman in the Whirlpool)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Booth left the locker room and found Wendell and Aubrey waiting for him in the hallway. "I'm going home . . . I'm going to my apartment."

Aubrey and Wendell had agreed to keep close tabs on Booth out of fear that the man would become too isolated, so Aubrey was attending Booth's hockey games even though he wasn't a fan of the sport. Both men considered Booth their friend and they wanted to help him as much as possible. Wendell shifted his sports bag to his left hand and smiled. "Aubrey and I are going to the Diner for a cup of coffee and a snack and we thought you'd like to come with us."

He considered turning them down, but Booth was lonely and he thought some company might help, at least for a little while. "Sure, why not? I'll meet you there."

Once they were on the road, following Booth's SUV, Wendell sighed. He couldn't help it. "He's going to his meetings, but I don't think they're helping that much. You saw Booth play tonight. He was really aggressive and the refs had no choice, but to kick him out of the game. He's so angry right now and . . . I want to help him, but what can I do? He doesn't want my advice, I've tried, but he cuts me off before I get very far."

The last few weeks had been rough on everyone. Booth was in a constant state of agitation when he wasn't just silent and unresponsive. They hadn't had many cases lately and Aubrey felt like shit about it, but he had actually started wishing that a really juicy murder would crop up to capture Booth's attention. The man was doing his job, but it was a minefield if anyone entered the Agent's office and Aubrey had had to get snarky with his friend more than once to let Booth know there was a line he shouldn't cross. "I try to have lunch with him every day, but he doesn't say much when we go. I don't know if he's taking his meeting seriously or not. He's not gambling, but damn he still thinks what he did was just a mistake."

"I'd do anything for Booth. He and Dr. Brennan saved my life when I got my cancer." Wendell was very loyal to the couple and he felt so bad that they were separated at the moment. "Dr. B is trying to hide it, but I know she's sad when she isn't angry. Andie made Christine some vegan carrot cake cookies and Dr. B appreciated it, but she's hardly talking to anyone right now. This is just a mess." Wendell was worried that the situation could get worse. "Do you . . . do you think they're going to get a divorce?"

The idea was ludicrous and Aubrey was surprised that Wendell would even think that was a possibility. "Of course not. Those two are never going to go that far and that's a fact. They're best friends and their friendship is the most important thing they own . . . Before Sweets died, when he was trying to get me to consider partnering up with Booth, he let me read some of Booth and Brennan's therapy notes. Let me tell you something, no matter how much shit is going on between those two, no matter how angry the one is with the other, those two have never let their friendship die and they won't let that happen now. It usually takes one of them to bend a little and sooner or later Booth is going to bend. He'll have to to save his friendship and his marriage with Brennan and he knows it. He's just being stubborn, the idiot."

"Thank God." Wendell watched Booth park his SUV in front of the Diner and Aubrey found a parking place further down the street and took it. "I just don't get how Booth could do what he did."

"Really?" Aubrey turned to look at his friend. "You really don't know? Attacked in his own home. Shot, he could have easily died and I don't know why he didn't. Set up for the murder of three FBI Agents who weren't FBI Agents. Betrayed by the FBI and the Justice Department. His grandfather died while he was in prison and he couldn't go to the funeral. Three months in prison, beaten and abused the whole time he was there. Once he was out, Sweets was murdered and he died right in front of Booth and Brennan. Just how much terror and hardship does a man have to take before he can't take it anymore? He's not superman no matter what he thinks no matter what anyone thinks. Add that to his past, damn I'm not sure how he's even functioning."

The facts were laid out coldly and logically for Wendell to hear and he realized that Booth was stronger than most people. Of course he fell off the sobriety wagon. He just needed to find the strength to get back on that wagon and find a way to get Dr. Brennan to take him back. Yeah, that was all.

Wendell decided to say extra prayers for Booth and he and his mother would light more candles for the man when they went to church on Wednesday. Andie had already added Booth and Brennan to her prayers and Wendell knew every little bit helped.

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As he listened to Courtney Hodsoll, the daughter of the victim talk about her mother, Booth heard the pain in her voice and it reminded him of his own childhood. She was the daughter of an addict and Courtney had accepted that her mother's addiction was more important than her love for her own child. Booth tried to assure the young lady that it wasn't her fault. Her mother was an addict and it had nothing to do with her. She needed to know that so she could move on.

He had also been the son of an addict, but unlike Courtney he had suffered horrible abuse and it had taken him years to understand that his father's addiction had controlled Edwin's life. It wasn't the fault of a small boy caught up in that nightmare, it was the fault of the addict.

Booth felt ashamed that it had taken this case to open his eyes, but it had. He was a gambling addict and he always would be. It hadn't mattered that he hadn't gambled for eleven years. His addiction hadn't been cured during that time. It had just let himself be lulled into a sense of complacency and that had allowed him to make a huge mistake, an epic mistake.

He had fallen, he had gambled until it had gotten away from him. $30,000 in debt and his wife and daughter were threatened by a man who wanted his money. What Booth had done was more than a mistake and he could admit that now. So far, his Gamblers Anonymous meetings had meant nothing to him because he had just told himself that it was a small slip, but he'd been lying to himself. He was the child of an addict and he himself was an addict and he had refused to see what was happening. Booth knew he had to fix his problem and it was going to take a lot of hard work on his part. He hoped that Brennan would forgive him someday and he prayed that his daughter and his baby boy who was on the way wouldn't suffer because of his foolishness. He had let it go on too long and it was going to stop. He had no choice. Not if he didn't want to end up like his father.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

He was at his meeting and Booth was working up the courage to face his peers. It had been a rough day, a murderer had been caught and the victim's child had been given closure or as much closure that she was going to get.

Booth had waited until the last person had spoken and he knew that he couldn't put it off any longer. As he stood up, he felt his face burning from shame, but that was his shame. He was the cause of it and he had to make amends. "Hi, uh, my name is Seeley and I have a gambling addiction . . . I'm here today because . . . uh, I want to make things right. I want to get my life back. You see, I've . . . I've hurt a lot of people in my life, especially my family. I've betrayed them and I've put them in danger, so I'm here to find a sense of resolution with that, so I can better understand myself."

He paused and he saw looks of sympathy and that encouraged him to continue speaking. "I haven't gambled for eleven years . . . I started gambling a couple of months ago and it got out of hand . . . way out of hand and my wife had to bail me out. I hurt her and my daughter and all of my friends. I let them all down. It's all on me. No one made me do what I did. It was me and . . . and someday I hope my family can forgive me for what I did."

His heart broken because he had betrayed the one person he loved more than anyone, Booth couldn't continue. Slowly he sat down and lowered his head so he was looking at the toes of his boots. The sounds of feet shuffling, coffee cups being filled and the hubbub of people speaking quietly reminded Booth's that he wasn't alone, but he couldn't bring himself to join his peers. He needed to gather his thoughts and his strength and face his future.

A hand touched his shoulder and Booth looked up. Gavin gave Booth a sad smile and sat down next to him. "I know that was hard, but it had to be done."

"Yeah." Booth exhaled deeply and finally stood up. "Yeah. I have a lot of work to do."

"You do." Gavin was relieved that Booth had finally spoken. The man had been attending the meetings for weeks and had never spoken to the group. He knew that Booth had been in denial, so he was grateful for whatever event had finally woke the man up. "But you can do it. You've beat this before."

And he had. Booth had given up gambling for Brennan and he would do it again. She was his rock, his soul mate and she deserved to be treated better than he had in the last few months. He would beat this for himself and for her and he would succeed. He wasn't his father and he would never hurt Brennan again. Not if he could help it. He would die for her, so he could do this for her too.

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	7. Chapter 7

(The Next in the Life)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

He'd returned to church. It had been a long time, but part of his recovery was to lean on God and get His help with his gambling problem. Booth had found it harder to enter the church than he thought it would be, but Brennan had gone with him and she held his hand as they moved to the back pew of the church and sat down.

The sermon was based upon Corinthians 13:4-7, Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Booth listened intently and as the sermon progressed he took Brennan's hand in his hand and clung to her touch. When Booth had gambled and caused her so much grief, she had been strong enough to see that his problem was very serious and she had done the only thing she could do at the time to make him see that he had to take responsibility for his actions. She had kicked him out of their house.

At the time, Booth had thought she was being too harsh, but when he was ready to admit to himself that his gambling had caused him to betray his wife and family that was when he understood just how strong she had been. She loved him and she told him so several times while he was living apart from her, but he had to fix his problem before he could return home and he had made a real start. Now he was living at home again and he knew that this was probably his only chance to get it right. He was certain if he gambled again, she might kick him out of her life not just the house.

Once the sermon was over, the couple left the church and instead of returning to Brennan's car, they went for a short walk. Since Max had their daughter in his care for the day, they weren't in a rush to go home.

As they walked down the sidewalk, holding hands comfortable in their silence, Brennan spied a coffee shop and pointed. "I'd like a cup of coffee, Booth, plus my feet are hurting." Once they both had a cup of coffee, they stepped out of the shop and sat down at one of the small tables provided for the coffee shop customers.

While he sipped his coffee, Booth stared at Brennan and knew that it was time he made amends. "Bones, you know one of the tenets of Gamblers Anonymous is to make amends to people we've harmed . . . that I've harmed. Would you let me do that now?"

She had expected him to make his amends soon, so she was prepared. Brennan knew that her husband needed to do it, even if she didn't think so. She already knew he was contrite for what he had done. "Yes, of course."

Feeling a little nervous, Booth licked his lips and steeled himself for what he had to say. "I went undercover when I shouldn't have. I know that now. You told me not to do it and so did Aubrey, but I thought I knew better and it almost ruined my life. I let pride dictate my actions . . . I can't gamble. I can't even pretend to gamble. Once I start I just . . . I just don't want to stop . . . what I did . . . gambling behind your back, it was wrong. I kept thinking it was okay, because at first I won . . . I won a lot, but then it fell apart . . . I started to lose and I kept gambling thinking I could recoup my loses, but the more I gambled the more I lost . . . it was crazy and I knew better. I'm really sorry that I let my losses get so big that Kosinski worried about me paying my debt to him. He's a dangerous man, I knew that and I still did business with him . . . Let's face it $30,000 is a hell of a lot of money and I didn't have it. I knew I didn't have it so he threatened you and then you had to bail me out to make him go away . . . I am so sorry that happened and I will never let something like that happen again. I won't betray your trust like that or endanger you or our children ever again. I won't. I promise you."

His words were sincere and Brennan smiled to let him see that she accepted his apology. It had been a long few months while Booth had struggled with his addiction, but in the end, he had made great strides in fixing his problem and she had invited him back into their home. His addiction would always be with him, but now that he knew what the ramifications were if he did it again, Brennan was certain he would never gamble again. "This reminds me of that time when Mr. Vincent Nigel-Murray had made amends to me. He was an alcoholic and when he went through the program he had to make amends too."

Booth picked up his cup, sipped some of the coffee then placed it back on the table. "What did he have to make amends to you about? He was just one of your students."

That memory a fond memory, Brennan grinned and leaned forward on the table. "He told me that he had borrowed my iguana and wore it as a hat at a party. He claimed he was very good with ribbons."

The English intern had always been an odd duck to Booth and that just confirmed it. "That's not too bad."

"Oh there's more." Brennan had found her intern's confession to be so amusing that it still made her laugh when she thought about it. "He also spread a rumor that he and I were lovers, that it wasn't a serious affair and that we were just each other's sexual playthings."

Shocked, Booth felt his blood pressure begin to rise. "Son of a bitch, if he wasn't already dead, I'd track him down and kill his sorry ass."

Surprised that Booth would be so upset over something that happened over four years ago, Brennan reached across the table and placed her hand over his hand. "He did that while he was drunk and that is why he joined Alcoholics Anonymous. He and I were never lovers. It was all part of his liquor soaked imagination."

Since he had done some pretty stupid things while gambling, Booth knew he was being high minded when he didn't have a right to be. "Well, it was still a stupid thing to do." He shook his head and smiled at his wife to let her know he saw the irony of the situation. "I guess he was pretty harmless. Wearing an iguana as a hat had to be kind of weird though."

"Yes, I think so too." Brennan missed her intern. He had irritated her sometimes with his use of irrelevant trivia, but she had known he used it as a crutch when he was nervous or uncertain. She tried to overlook most of his tangents into other fields because even then she had known there were worse things to use as a crutch like alcohol and gambling.

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Booth found Aubrey in his office and he knew it was time to set things right with his friend. After closing the door behind him, Booth moved across the room and stood in front of Aubrey's desk. "I need to talk to you."

In need of a break, Aubrey placed his pen down and looked up at his friend. "Sure."

Since he didn't really know how to start the conversation, Booth just decided to be blunt. "Part of being in the program is I need to make amends to the people I've wronged. I want to say that I'm sorry for the mess I made of things and I want to thank you for having Bones' back when Kosinski came sniffing around for his money. That should never have happened and it's all on me."

"Brennan told you I paid Kosinski off?" Aubrey never really thought about how Brennan would explain how she had paid off the bookie. He had assumed that she wouldn't mention him at all since the whole thing was embarrassing to her. "Um, well, okay, thanks."

Booth sat down and stared at his young friend. "I let things get out of hand. Way out of hand. I was in for $30,000 and I didn't have it. I'm not sure how I thought I was going to pay that off, but at the time I wasn't thinking."

"You sure weren't." Aubrey believed in tough love. His mother had never let him off easy when he had screwed up and she had done that because she loved him. She had told him a long time ago and that when you make a mistake it's up to you to fix it not anyone else and he really believed it. It was a great learning experience if you had to pay for your own mistakes. "Kosinski was a real piece of work threatening Brennan and Christine. No way was I going to let him get away with that, so Brennan gave me the money and when I paid him off, Hodgins and I put the fear of God into him. He won't be back."

"Hodgins?" This was the first time Booth had heard that Hodgins had been involved in his mess. "How did Hodgins help you and what do you mean by the fear of God?"

Aubrey stared at Booth for a few seconds and shook his head. "I don't really think that's any of your business. What Hodgins and I did was necessary and we'd do it again."

His temper flared for a few seconds, but then died back down. Booth was there to make amends and if Aubrey felt like he needed to slap him down, then it was all part of the amends thing. "Thanks for having Bones' back and mine." Booth stood up and reached over the desk to shake Aubrey's hand.

He was glad that Booth had learned his lesson and that he would never gamble again. Standing, Aubrey shook Booth's hand and smiled. "We're all pulling for you. We hope you make it."

"I will." Booth was confident he would never gamble again. The risks were too great.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth found Hodgins in his ooky room at the Lab and made sure no one was there with him. "I need to talk to you."

Carefully, Hodgins placed a beaker of sulphuric acid down on the table and turned to look at his friend. "Sure, come in."

Booth moved over to the display cases and looked at the king snake inside one of the aquariums. "You know I'm in Gambler's Anonymous."

Curious, Hodgins removed his gloves and placed them on the counter. "Sure, how's it going? You aren't gambling are you?"

"No, I'm not." Booth wished he could just skip this talk, but he knew it had to be done no matter how embarrassing it was. "I want to make amends to you . . . I heard that you and Aubrey were the ones that paid off Koskinski to protect Bones and I'm sorry that you had to get involved in my mess. I never should have let it get that far and I've learned my lesson. It won't happen again."

Hodgins was sure it would never happen again because Booth loved Brennan too much to lose her. "I know. I have faith in you."

"Thank you." His friend was the first one to say that to him and it made him feel somehow stronger. He knew that Brennan trusted him because she knew that he knew she wouldn't forgive him a second time, but Hodgins actually had faith in him and Booth was grateful. "Thanks man. I won't let you down again."

"I know you won't." Hodgins liked Booth a lot and he prayed for him whenever he went to church. It wasn't too often, but he did make an effort to go to church a few times a month for Michael Vincent's sake. "You're a good man, Booth. You had a serious lapse in judgement, but we all do that sometime in our lives. No one is perfect. You know you can't gamble anymore and I have faith you won't."

Feeling a little emotional, Booth cleared his throat and finally spoke. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Hodgins stepped closer to his friend and hugged him even though he knew Booth hated that, but at a time like this hugs were necessary. "You're very welcome."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

This is the end of my story. Let me know what you think of it. Thank you


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